Primary battery



Nov. l0, 1931. M. L* MAR-rus ET AL PRIMARY BATTERY Original Filed Deo. 21

2 Sheets-Sheet. l

, f A l f and R.: .5. mm n NSM. N im M www? n LG. A d n n mm Eh Y DD Nov. 10, 1931. M. MARTUS ET AL PRIMARY BATTERY Original Filed Deo'. 2l, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheer. 2

INV EN TOR.

BY. James ML/Q Patented Nov.p1o, `1931 PATENT o1-F1os MARTINI.. MAnrUs, or woonBURvQANnQEDi/:UND BECKER AND JAMES G. Ross, or

l i WATERBUnY, coNNncTreUm PRIMARY BArTERv originan application mea recenter 21; 192s; seriai No. 156,100,v ratentno. 1,725,716, granted August 2o, 1929. Divided and this application'led JanuaryA 30, 1928. Serial No. 250,420;

pecially to ,electro-chemical means for in-` creasing the active surface portions of battery elements by the action of the battery itself,

and serves toprovide abattery of the desired character which., is .prepared for immediate function'upon its installation sopas to insur uniform voltage duri-ng discharge. Y' The battery vfurther includeselectrodes which may be suspended from the jar and cover and wherein, by reasonpofits novel con-A struction, there 1s a tendency to reduce or d1- minish the initial voltage; rand, to lprovide means so that the conductivity et theoXide" of copper depolarizer will begin at a'point of the element `furthest from the Zinc and cause the battery to have a comparativelylow E. F. at the start and ystillbe within the workingrange for the service required. The reducedoxide of copper Vworking towards the zinc element duringkdiseharge, thereby diminishing the'distancebetween this point and the negative element. f v

A l battery constructed in accordance with our invention has `shownwery much'better results duringthelatter Apart offitsflifepatj which vtime practically `all otherv batteriesof the usual type and construction, show their low point of efficiency. With our improved battery, we maintain'the same in a state where it is most economical in delivering itsen'ergy'. An embodiment oftheinvention is shown in the accompanying drawings land will be hereinafter more fullydescribed4 and Afinally pointed out in the claims hereto appended'.

Upon vthe accoinpanyingftwo sheets of drawings, similar ycharacters oi reference will be found ,to Vdenote like or corresponding parts throughout'the several figures, and of which; y ..7 n

Fig. 1 shows acentral vertical sectional view ofa primarybattery embodyinrgour` invention,'supported within a batteryj ar;

. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the battery ar and a cylindrical zinc electrode supported therein; i

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan' taken on line 3-'3 ofFigxl; o 1 Fig. l is a sectional elevation of a primary battery including a jar, showing a modification of the invention; 1

Fig; 5 isa sectional elevation of ak slightly modified form ot-negative element embodying the features of the' invention; l

Fig. 6 showsan enlarged detail sectional View of thesuspension rod, cap and means of insulativelyconnecting the two fas eml ploved in Fig. Ll; and i Fig. 7 is a similarly enlarged detailed tional view showing the insulative connection between the rod and cap employedin Fig. 5j Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings. l .E

Referring in detail to thecharacters of reference marked uponI the drawi'n,f: fs, see Figs. 1, 2 and 3, 12 represents a-b'attery jar, 13 a bridge strip having end portions lll which are suitably bent` to engage the top edge portion of the battery jar to hold the strip in position. This bridge strip as shown in Figs. 1 and 4l further includes a central hole 15 midway, of its length` to receive an insulative bushing 16 through which the suspending rod 17 for the negative electrode 18 is positioned for the suspension of the same within the jar. Said road being secured to the bridge strip by meansV of wing nuts, as shown, attached to the threaded end of the rod.

' The negative electrode as shown in Fig. 1,

say

is made. up of several compressed oxide oi Y copper cylindersA, B and C arranged oney above the other and insulativelysupported on the suspension rod 17 removably7 attached to the supporting bridge strip. `These several oxide of copper. cylinders are also insulated one, from the other by means of insulative bushings 19 positioned both upon 'the rod and in -central holes 200iv the top and bottom endcap's 21 and 22,'employed'tor` 24 which extend into the upper end portionk of the cylindrical electrodes to engage the inner side walls thereof in a manner to form an electrical conductor from one-cylinder to another. Insulative tubular bushings are positioned on the rod 17 intermediate of the before mentioned bushing 19 and serve to hold the several cylinders in Vspaced relation to each other. By means ot' thisconstruction and assemblage of parts it will be seen that the oxide or' copper cylinder is iirst yact-ed upon around the bottom edge ofthe lower cylinder A by reason ot the fact that this portion only is in electrical contact with the suspension rod 17 through the medium of the cap 22a.

Thev action upon this element when assembled in a battery as shown in Fig. 1, therefore, is to begin to color around the bottoni' edge of the lower,cylindrical-section A and work upward until the lower section has been reduced to metallic copper so that it then serves as a conductor to connect with the lowermost set of arms through which `the adjoining lower portion of the intermediate cylinder B is brought into action for reduction in the same was as the lower unit. The third or uppermost section C of the negative element is next acted upon and consumed in substantially the saine manner thereby consuming each of the several copper oxide uni-ts in their respective order.y

In addition to the illustration ofa. top plan View of a battery jar in Fig. 2,' we have also shown the annular zinc yelectrode 26 shown in Fig. 1, which includes a simplified means tor its suspension in a jar, comprising a single wire 29, bent midway of its length to form an eye 28 for attachment to the stud 29. The outer end portions of the said wire being bent and disposed to form spaced apart :hooks 30 and 31 to engage andrest upon the top edge of ythe battery jar .in way to support the positive element therein.

Inithe formot the invention shown in Fig. Ll, the suspension rod is insulated from the top cap 21 by a bushing 19d but'is electrically connected to the bottom cap 22D, so that conductivity must begin at thelower part of the element 18. In this respect, it will Aalso'be noted that we have provided a few windings of zinc-coated wire 32 around the outer surface of the lower extremity ol the cylindricaly negative element, having one end connected to the lower cap 22", which is for lthe purpose of increasing the conductivity and causing vbottomof the e ement first,`so that as the battery continues in operation.I the lower part of the solution will become saturated with the sodium Zincate, or other inert material, the active part of the copperV being in the `zone` of the fresh electrolyte or active electrolyte material.

In Fig. 5 is shown a compressedcylindrical form of copper oxide element somewhatlike that shown` in Fig. 4 and isjprovided with a zinc `alloy ring `3 2a .against and withinthe lowerv part of the `cylinder and seated upon the cap 22a.. This alloy ring obviously serves to increase the conductivity of the element in the same man-ner as is accomplished vby the wire 32 shown in Fig. 4.

The zinc element 26 as shown in Fig.4 is annular orring-likeinfform, and inV cross section, wider across its top edgethan its lower edge. ltis supported within the jar around and in spaced relation to the negative element by meansfof hooks 3 3 `and one 95 end of which maybe cast in the zinc electrode, and the other disposed upward kand 'bent to form hook-ends, which engage the top edge ot the jar. The rubber-covered service-wire 35 is detachably connectedto a post .3 6 also o cast within the zinc electrode at a point clistant. from that of the hooks`-33 jandtl., 'and when the wire 35 4is bent hook-like, it .together with the hooks 33 and' 34 be'fore'mentionecLserve to support the zinc electrode.

Having thus described our invention, what we desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A primary battery including a copper oxide element and zinc elementadjacent one end of the copper koxide element and an acno tive solution therefor, the cathode including an annular receptacle and a central conductive suspension rod, the upper portion of said rod adjacent the zinc element beinginsulated from said copper oxide and the lower portion n; being electrically connected to the copper oxide in a way to insure an initial reduction of the lower portion of the'lcopper oxide;

2. A primary battery including: acylindrical form of copper oxide element and a 0 cylindrical zinc element surrounding one end portion of the copper oxide element,` and an active solution therefor. the 'negative element including a central cond'iutive suspensionlrod extending substantially therethrough," one end portion ofsaid' rod being` insulated from said cylinder andthe other end portion of .said rod'farthe'st from lthe zinc being vpros vided with a metal positiveto said copper .no

oxideto insure a quick initial reduction of a desired portion of the copper oxide.

3. A negative element for primary batteries including a cylindrical form of copper' oxide and a central supporting rod therefor, metal caps carried by the rodl and engaging the ends of the cylinder, means insulating one of the caps from the rod, and a highly conductive piece of metal intermediate said rod and the other of said caps to insure a quick initial reduction of the copper oxide.

4. A primary battery including a copper oxide element and a zinc element adjacent the upper end and an active solution therefor, the negative element including an annular body of copper oxide and a central conductive sus` pension rod, the upper end portion of said rod being insulated from said copper oxide and the lower end portion being electrically con-l nected to the copper oxide in a manner to cause the same to be reduced from the bottom up.

5. A primary battery including a negative element and a positive element surrounding the upper portion of the negative element and.

an active solution therefor, said negative element including two or more cylindrical copper oxide members arranged one above the other, a suspension rod within the negative element electrically connected to the lower one of the copper oxide cylinders to be rst reduced, and metallic connections from one oxide cylinder to another to continue the action to the next adjacent cylinders of the element whenv the iirst mentioned member has been reduced.

6. A primary cell having a copper oxide element and a hanger therefor, said element having two spaced end portions, a metal alloy electro-positive to copper and electrically connected to and positioned between one end portion of the element and one end portion of the hanger, and insulating means between the hanger and the other end portion of the element. v

7. A primary cell having a copper oxide element and a hanger therefor, said element having two spaced end portions, a metal alloy electro-positive to copper and electrically connected to and positioned between one end portion of the element and that portion of the hanger most remote from its point of suspension, and insulating means between the hanger and the other end portion of the element.

Signed at Waterbury in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut this 27 th day of January, A. D. 1928.

MARTIN L. MARTUS. EDMUND H. BECKER. JAMES G. ROSS. 

